The subject matter disclosed herein relates to turbine engine sensors and, more particularly, to turbine engine sensors disposed on a rotor at a radial distance from the rotor centerline.
In a turbine engine, high temperature fluids are directed through a turbine section where they interact with turbine buckets, which are rotatable about a rotor, to generate mechanical energy. The environment within the turbine section and around or on the rotor is, therefore, characterized by relatively high gravitational loads (g-loads), high temperatures and high pressures. It is often advantageous to obtain measurements of those temperatures and pressures in order to ascertain whether the turbine is operating within normal parameters.
Attempts to measure pressures generally focus on pressure measurements on the rotor but require that the pressure sensor be packaged at or near the rotor centerline where g-loads are reduced. Typically, a wave-guide (tube) is routed from the pressure sensor to the measurement point of measurement interest. Routing a rigid, yet bendable tube through a series of slots and holes in the rotor, however, can be difficult and may often result in a leak or a broken connection. Also, use of a wave-guide restricts pressure measurement to static measurements only as dynamic pressures cannot be measured using a wave-guide due to the large volume of air between the sensor and measurement point. This large volume of air effectively dampens the pressure wave.